Romaine Lettuce Recall 2010: E. Coli?

Today May 6, 2010, the FDA announced that Freshway Foods voluntarily recalled numerous products containing romaine lettuce as a precaution due to Escherichia coli bacteria contamination, otherwise known as E. coli.

According to an article on cnn.com the Food and Drug Administration website says that there has been an outbreak of a foodborne disease in Michigan, Ohio and New York. Already 19 cases of illness have been reported including 12 people who have been hospitalized. Three of those people have a possibly life-threatening complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome.

So should we just throw away all the lettuce? Is it all the romaine lettuce contaminated with E. Coli?

Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands because of a possible link to the E. coli outbreak.

College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., are among those affected, according to local health departments in those states.

Consumers should watch out for so-called "grab and go" salads containing romaine lettuce sold at in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets, and Marsh stores, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns.

The Freshway Foods press release advises restaurants, distributors and retailers in affected states to throw out or refrain from using shredded romaine lettuce with the May 12 use by date. The company also advises consumers not to eat “grab and go” salads sold in in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh stores in those states. However, bulk, prepackaged romaine or bagged salad mixes containing romaine that were purchased in supermarkets are not included in the recall; Freshway Foods does not produce these products.

Columbus is one of four jurisdictions in three states that are actively investigating E. coli O145 infections that have made a number of Ohioans sick.

New York and Michigan are conducting investigations as well.

To date, 19 confirmed cases of E. coli O145 illnesses have been reported, including 12 individuals who have been hospitalized, and three with a potentially life-threatening complication affecting the body's blood-clotting mechanisms.

Consumers with questions can call the company at 888-361-7106 on weekdays (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT) or visit its website for updates (www.freshwayfoods.com).

This is serious.
Twenty-five states have recalled romaine lettuce after an E. coli outbreak possibly linked to contaminated lettuce has caused at least nineteen people in Ohio, New York, and Michigan to become sick.

The E. coli bacteria can be very dangerous and cause death.
The FDA says it is focusing its investigation on lettuce grown in Arizona as a potential source of the outbreak.